While the six-person rule threatens to put a dampener on many Yuletide traditions, Christmas crackers are not among them. Most packs come in sextets, perfectly numbered for limited gatherings, and since you’ll only have to buy one pack, you may as well splurge on a set with gifts to make the meal memorable.
This year, offerings range from opulent varieties in festive gold to more rustic takes that evoke a homespun feel. Whether you’re looking for the perfect set to match your table’s festive theme, or the most extravagant set of prizes within, Luxury has compiled a selection of the best.
Claridge’s Christmas Crackers
The famous Brook Street hotel is once more offering a set of crackers from its online store. For those who wished they’d won the pearl caviar spoon last year, this is your chance to try your luck again. Other contents include a honey drizzler, china egg cup, horn egg spoon and artisanal honey. Instead of the usual joke on a scroll of paper, Claridge’s has included a series of little festive anecdotes from its storied history within each cracker.
Available from mid November, £80, Claridge’s
Fortnum & Mason All That Glitters Crackers
The iconic Piccadilly purveyor of all things festive, Fortnum & Mason’s crackers come in a celebratory gold hue. Each of these six crackers is tied with two matching bows. Inside, gifts range from Fortnum’s Rose Pouchong Tea Votive candle to a honey drizzler, silver-plated sugar tongs, decorative caddy spoon and Royal Blend tin; surely the core makings of a tea party. The colour will make an ideal accessory for a gold-themed Christmas tablescape.
£500, Fortnum and Mason
Purdey’s Christmas Crackers
This set of eight from the self proclaimed ‘king of gunmakers’ would be ideal for a Christmas dinner with extended family or friends. The gifts inside, particularly the hip flask, are better-suited to a mature crowd. Other contents vary from a cotton handkerchief to a stag horn whistle, but the luckiest diner will be the one to win the £50 Purdey gift card.
£395, Mr Porter
Harrods Dacha Christmas Crackers
With its bold patterns in red, green and blue, the Dacha crackers from Harrods are reminiscent of a colourful Russian church. This selection contains a silver pen, mini harmonica and flamingo-shaped spoon, making it one of the more child-friendly of this year’s offerings.
£155, Harrods
Fortnum & Mason Majestic Crackers
Presented in a traditional wicker basket, this set of six crackers is filled with a silk scarf, a pack of Barbour handkerchiefs, an Urban Bar jigger, a sterling-silver honey drizzler and Ettinger card case. The gold bee bracelet by Alex Monroe will be a highlight for any jewellery enthusiast.
£1,000, Fortnum and Mason
Harrods Traditional Christmas Crackers
Whatever your own family Christmas traditions, this box in dazzling crimson with bonny tartan bows is classically old school. Cracking this set open will reveal a range of gifts for a grown-up Christmas meal, from a bottle opener to a hip flask. Well, it is the time to indulge.
£155, Harrods
Selfridges Felt So Good Crackers
This handmade set of crackers is ideal for those who will be entertaining little ones this Christmas. The contents include a range of baking tools, complete with cookie cutters and a mini whisk. As well as the selection of gifts inside, the jolly felt decoration dangling from each cracker serves as an additional treat for adding to the tree after pudding.
£80, Selfridges
The Asprey Christmas Cracker
Historic British house Asprey specialises in crafting individual crackers. Besides the traditional festive crown, each cracker contains six gifts, a Christmas saying, and a balloon. The presents range from a dice that helps one choose what to eat next, with the name of a world cuisine on each face, to a pair of gold-plated lion-shaped cufflinks. Other highlights are a sterling silver pencil sharpener and bracelet with oak leaf charms.
Available from mid October, £220 for one, Asprey
Fortnum & Mason Christmas Forest Crackers
The Christmas Forest Crackers – in a suitably verdant hue- comes with a selection of pocket-sized objects from Fortnum & Mason as well as the customary hat and joke combo. From the Rose Pouchong Travel Tea Tin Candle to the Pomegranate Rose Guest Soap, the packaging of each gift comes in the store’s famous turquoise livery.
£295, Fortnum and Mason
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